In 1990, in God’s Last and Only Hope: The Fragmentation of the Southern Baptist Convention, I wrote: Growing up Southern Baptist once seemed relatively easy. Elaborate denominational programs created a surprising uniformity among an otherwise diverse and highly individualistic constituency….
Worldliness and wistfulness on the way to Bethlehem 2021
This Advent season, I determined to follow the lead of the BVM, the Blessed Virgin Mary, in “pondering” the Bethlehem story in my heart. So I went back to Luke’s Gospel in the King James Version where I first heard…
Seeking the Prince of Peace in a nation overwhelmed by threats
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6) Peace I leave with you; my peace…
Antidisestablishmentarianism is attempting a coup: Don’t laugh
I first heard the word “antidisestablishmentarianism” while competing in the spelling bee in my fourth grade class at Decatur (Texas) Elementary School. Our teacher, Mrs. Doyle, touted it then as the longest word in the English language, defined as those…
The second coming of JFK Jr. and other unrealities: Signs of our times
All things considered, an event in Dallas on Nov. 2, 2021, had the makings of a post-Christian kingdom of God moment for the subgroup of QAnon believers gathered in Dealey Plaza, site of the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy…
‘Tangibilifying Grace’: When the manna runs out, what then?
Manna means “What is it?” — at least that is one interpretation of the word. In the Exodus accounts, manna becomes a tangible indication of God’s presence, a poignant, funny, strange, ironic and temporary sign of grace. The children of…
Apocalypse now? If only it were that easy!
I was scared; 16 years old and scared. Jesus Christ was going to return at any moment, and I was scared. It was the last night of church camp, and the preacher had practically promised that Jesus Christ would return…
Firearms and children 2021: ‘Death has climbed through our windows’
On Sunday, Sept. 27, 2021, a front-page story in the Winston-Salem Journal by Lisa O’Donnell began by asking, “Who was Jumil Dewann Robertson?” Then offered this description: “He was the grandson who could do no wrong; a cousin in a…
On the anniversary of 9/11: Reclaiming ‘unanticipated courage’
On Tuesday, Sept.18, 2001, poet/prophet/writer Maya Angelou, professor of humanities at Wake Forest University, spoke to students and faculty at the Wake Forest School of Divinity. We had scheduled her visit months before, never knowing that it would occur exactly…